Summer Pen Pals
by Fluffernutter8
Summary: Lily, James and friends in the summer before their 7th year. A Muggle Studies project has Lily and James writing to each other, without revealing their identity. Will romance blossom? LJ, SOC, ROC
1. Introduction

"Go out with me?"

"No!"

"Please?"

"Should I?"

"Really?"

"Maybe I should"

"You mean it!"

"I think I will… Tell you to shut up! Potter shut up and leave me alone."

"You don't mean that, Lils."

"Go away, Potter, I've got Muggle Studies."

"Wow what a coincidence! So do I."

"Well there's a shocker for you! Of course you don't have any classes with me because of course you didn't choose EXACTLY the same subjects as I did so you could follow me around constantly and bug me all day. Of course you wouldn't do a thing like THAT!"

"Is loving you such a terrible thing!"

"You're making me late, Potter."

The two fighting, Lily Evans and James Potter, ducked into the Muggle Studies classroom just as the bell rang.

"Settle down, settle down now" said Professor Rister, their Muggle studies instructor "As you all know, this will be your last class before the exams. We will be reviewing for them, but first, I will be telling you about your summer homework."

"But Professor," James Potter interrupted "I thought you were the one teacher that I could count on not to give!"

"Potter, it's not much. You see this homework project is called pen pals (A/n Or pen friends if you prefer). You will each have a secret pen pal that you will write to over the summer. You will write to them and they will, of course, write back. But, I will be reviewing any and all letters that go in and out of the post office from this class, so I will know if you tell your partner who you are. The one from the box on the right has written on they have a Mimicking Charm on them so they will read the same for both you and your partner. Now everyone take a slip of paper from each of the boxes on my desk. Look at them. The one on the right will tell you which HPO (Hogsmead Post Office) box that you will be writing to. The one on the left is where you will be collecting from. This will count for a large part of your grade. Everyone understand? Any questions?"

Lily's best friend, Alexandra Potter, raised her hand.

"Professor, what if the one of us guesses? Do we lose points?"  
"You must owl me immediately, dear, so I will know. Are there any more questions? Good, now on to review."

They spent the rest of the class preparing for their exams.

Another couple of weeks would find all the 6th years happy to be over with their exams. They packed up their things and said good-byes, went on the Hogwarts express and stepped out to see what summer would bring.


	2. Authors Note

Welcome to my story. I hope you liked the intro. Here's what you need to know about the characters:

The Girls:

Lily Evans: Emerald green eyes, fiery red hair and a temper to match. Always a very good person to have on your side. One very loyal friend, powerful, brilliant witch, with a dream of becoming a swimmer and a dancer.

Alexandra Potter: Both Lily's best friend and James' twin sister. Could turn out to be quite a messy combination. With her curly black hair and hazel green eyes, Alexandra is quite bewitching (A/N Get it be 'witch' ing. I just crack myself up.) as well as skillful. Has a crush on her brothers other best friend, Remus Lupin. Imagines being a writer.

Juliet Aranset: Good humored, cheerful. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer but not troll-like. Has honey-blonde hair, big blue eyes and a good complexion. Half French, dreams of being a singer and actress. Has a secret crush on Sirius.

The Marauders:

James Potter: Hogwarts number one heartthrob doesn't have to be stupid. Has messy, black hair and hazel eyes. Dependable and brave, very good in transfiguration (and charming his way out of trouble) One of the ring-leaders of the Marauders, prankster extraordinaire, Quidditch player, and from one of the richest wizarding families in the world. Has a not-so-secret crush on Lily. Wants to be an Auror.

Sirius Black: James' best friend and second-in-command. Also rich, handsome (dark hair, blue-gray eyes) one of the best students in the year alongside James, Lily, Remus, and Alexandra. Has a "teensy, weensy" crush on Lily's other best friend, Juliet. Wants to be an Auror.

Remus Lupin: Both good-looking (sandy hair and good-natured brown eyes) and smart, he hides a secret. A peacemaker, studies the hardest out of all the Marauders. Has a crush on Alexandra, but is afraid to tell. Dreams of being a DADA tutor.

Peter Pettigrew: The last of the Marauders. Evil, worthless, evil, no talent, evil, stupid, evil. Should have no friends. Bad guy. Not even cute. Wants to be Voldemort's lackey.


	3. Lily 1

Dear… Pen pal,

Hello, I'm your secret pen pal. My hobbies are swimming, dancing, painting and oddly enough, visiting Muggle museums on holidays. My favorite foods are noodle soup, pizza and strawberry ice cream. My favorite subject is Charms, I have a knack for it (A/N If you don't know what knack means go look it up) and my least favorite is, quite frankly, Transfiguration because I can never manage it.

I have a really great family. My sister and I don't really get on very well, but my parents make up for it. My mom (A/N or mum) is a painter and she runs a greeting cards business. Sometimes, I paint cards for her. My dad is a composer for new shows, although at the moment he's working on a lower version of "Edelweiss" from the Sound of Music for my cousin's school play. When the kids sing it at the moment, they sound like they just inhaled helium.

I love musicals! I've acted, danced, and done set in three. The Music Man (Painted set), Fiddler on the Roof (I was Grandmother Tzeital and it was sooooooo funny) and West Side Story (I was Anita and it was one of the saddest things I've ever seen). Have you ever seen any of these?

Well now I've told you a bit about me,

Write back a little about yourself.

Write Soon,

Love,

Your Pen Pal

Author's Corner:

So how'd you all like it so far? Thank you allsoooooooo much for all the reviews. They were so positive. All the chapters are probably going to be short until they get back to school. Hope you like it! Please review, they are so uplifting.

Me


	4. James 1

Dear… um right,

Sorry, I'm using a recording charm so don't mind the mess-ups please. I have indeed seen all three musicals on my friend Re- er, Robin's tel-e-vi-sion set. Or maybe it wasn't Robin, maybe it was Robert or _quick, what's another name that starts with R?_

_Dunno, um… Ronald? Thanks_ or Ronald.

Well, I like playing Quidditch and… other stuff. Do you?

I can't believe that you don't like transfiguration! How could you not?! I love it, it's my favorite subject. I am naturally good at it. (A/N you're so vain, you probably think this song is about you)

I have a small family, just my mom (A/N or mum), my dad and my sister and me. My dad's an Auror and my mom's (A/N or mum's) a member of the Wizengamot.

Well that's all I can think of to write now, so until next time,

Bye,

Pen Pal

Author's Corner:

Sorry it's so short, but remember, if you review you can have all your dreams come true. Italics indicate whispering.


	5. Intervention

Dear James,

Please refrain from using spells, charms or other magical effects on your letters. Please use a quill or a pen and make less mention of your friends and personal life. Remember, this counts for a large part of your grade derives from this correspondence and I would like to be able to mark you highly and I would also not like to have to mark down the grade of your partner as well because you didn't obey these rules.

Thank you,

Best wishes for an enjoyable summer,

Professor Lydia Rister


	6. Lily 2

A/N well her it is, the long awaited 6th Chapter! Thanx to all the people who took time away from there busy lives to be reviewers. Enjoy!

Dear You,

Now, I should be terribly angry at you for writing such a short letter and shouldn't be writing back at all. Luckily for you, I a) Don't want to lose credit on this project (A/N Lily keeps mentioning this but she's kinda obsessive over school-work) b) My mom (or mum) just told me the greatest news. My parents are repainting my room! My favorite color is magenta so of course I wanted that. So that's what I told my mom (or mum). She said "We'll paint your room magenta when it snows in June. How about lavender?". So I agreed, but that phrase 'snowing in June' stuck with me and when I got back to my room, I thought about it. I love snow. One of my first memories is of me and my sister and my parents having a snowball fight in our yard. Do you like snow?

I started thinking about orphans. I feel bad for them, especially the ones who were orphaned too young to remember there parents. They'll never have a chance to go out with their mom (or mum) and make their first snowman/ woman/ animal. They'll never be able to go and make snow-angels with their family in the moonlight. I think it's horrible, not to ever remember your parents. Not to hear them call you to breakfast in the morning, not to be able to hug them when you go to school and when you come home again. Not knowing if your father had a special way of picking you up and hugging you when he came home from work. Not knowing if your parents danced to old blues song. I know mine do.

Thinking about orphans led me to think about Voldemort. He's more evil than most people think. He not only steals family for no reason at all. He not only steals life which is our most precious gift. He steals childhoods and the privilege of dying peacefully in your sleep. He also steals memories such as these. He steals things that can never be replaced. He steals joy, wonder, tranquility, happiness and for no gain but his own. I don't ever want that to happen to me, of course, but if I ever meet him face to face, I want to destroy him, to rid the world of evil being such as him. I'll never be able to of course, but I can dream of a world for my children where they can run freely through the streets without the threat of a madman coming to get them at any minute hanging over their heads. That's the world I want to bring my kids into.

Contemplatively Yours,

Me

So, how was it? I was feeling thoughtful when I wrote it. Was it everything you imagined? I hope so. Remember, review or I'll sic my evil hair-eating rabbits on you.


	7. James 2

Disclaimer: Two words: I-wish

I'm back! Before I begin, I'd like to thank my reviewers (For such short chapters I get so many positive reviews). Please, enjoy!

Dear Pen pal,

I don't see why you think you should be mad at me. My last letter was perfectly acceptable. Um, anyway, that's great news about your room. I think magenta is a great color but lavender is good too. My room is blue and silver the colors of the Applby Arrows, my favorite team. I don't really have anything to say but I'll try. Well, I guess I'll tell you a story from when I was little.

I was in a wizarding play group until I was 5 years old. The teacher, Miss Halenbeck (A/N Miss Halenbeck was my ballet teacher from when I was five. She called me "impertinent" and so I stopped taking ballet) was very sweet looking. She acted kind and gentle around the parents and inspectors, so no one ever suspected her of anything or thought to put a Surveillance Charm around the premises. In reality, however, she would punish the poor defenseless children mercilessly. She came from some northern country and had gone to Dumstrang for her school years and I experienced first hand what she had learned there. She was very clever at DADA and Charms, so she was able to hurt us, then use different charms to disguise it. One day, after I had been at this play group for about a year, I saw Miss Halenbeck cursing my sister. Well, she could curse me all she wanted, but when she bullied my sister, she had to go down. So, I watched her. Every day for two, two and a half weeks. I learned her schedule and soon I knew that at exactly 12:15 she always took a bathroom break. So I hatched an evil plot. At 12:15, Miss Halenbeck went into the bathroom with a magazine and I grabbed her wand from her back pocket. I hid it in the fake potions sets. Then when she came out, all the kids I had organized into rebellion attacked her. Miss Halenbeck didn't know what hit her. By the time I had inched out of the tangle, grabbed the wand and touched the DWB (Dark Wizard Box; once Grindlewald attacked a preschool so they became more cautious and installed DWBs in all play groups and preschools.) Miss Halenbeck was cursing and had she been holding her wand, most of the children would have been severely injured. When the Dark Wizards Defense League showed up in response to the DWB they saw the normally graceful and neat Miss Halenbeck cursing like a madwoman they immediately took her to the Ministry. We kids got a new teacher who was very nice and we all lived happily ever after.

So, there's a childhood memory for you.

Write,

Pen Pal

Author's corner:

Hope you enjoyed it. Now to personal responses:

bow( )- I'm sorry you don't find my writing up to standard and I have tried hard to please my readers. If you don't like my use of mom/mum (I'm American so I instinctively write mom not mum and I thought since Lily and James are British I might put in Mum in parentheses) and my notes, please take above suggestion. Also, I only know of one previous reference to when Voldemort started attacking people (1st book "we've had precious little to celebrate for 11 years"). I'm assuming it started in Lily and James' final year or two at Hogwarts.

To everyone else who wanted the mom/mum thing stopped, I'll do my best.

To everyone else who reviewed: Thank you, I salute you! The next chapter is in progress and a sequel on the drawing board.


	8. Final Chapter

Disclaimer- You think I'm even close in talent to J.K. Rowling? maniacal laughter

A/N Thanks for all the reviews even though I haven't updated in a really long time. Well, here's the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

Dear, well, I think that I know who you are, but...

I'm having a lovely summer. In fact, if my sister was not here, it would be perfect. She has been even nastier than usual, calling my awful names and mumbling at me. My parents own a romantic beach house by the ocean, and I am enjoying the view and the sound of the water. This is my favorite place in the world because it is so serene and beautiful. Well, here comes my sister, probably to torture me about how I am a freak. I got so used to her shrieks that I can now tune them out while she is yelling at me.

Hope to see you soon,

Your Pen-Pal

James finished reading the letter aloud and peered over the top of the parchment at his friends who were rolling on the floor with tears in their eyes from laughing.

"Oh, what great friends you are," he said sarcastically.

"No need to thank us, that's why we're here," replied Remus, still chuckling.

"So," James muttered, pacing, "is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Why, it's not a thing at all," Sirius and Remus cracked simultaneously.

Alexandra Potter also got a letter that day, from her best friend Lily Evans. It read:

Dear Alex,

Just a quick note before we leave for the beach. I think that my pen pal is Frank Longbottom! (A/N All the girls at Hogwarts have liked Frank at one point or another. Lily only thinks she likes him though because she doesn't want to seem weird.) I don't know why, maybe the way he writes. Oh, well.

Love,

Lily

Dear Pen pal,

You're the only one I can tell this to. You don't know me, I don't know you, you'll probably forget by this time next year. If you'll recall from my first letter, I don't get along very well with my sister. Today began as a perfectly normal day. I woke up later than usual (which for me is quarter past seven). I had a relaxing day- swimming (you'll recall that we are at our beach house), reading, and building sandcastles with my little cousin. This evening, I went on a walk on the beach and met my sister. She was gaping at this boy who looked sort of familiar. Now, usually she doesn't talk to me except for things like "how ya doing freak" or "I'm going out with my _normal_ friends". But today she started raving about how fabulous he was. That was the moment that I recognized him. It was Sam Garret, from school. He was a Ravenclaw but he graduated last year. I told her and she started yelling about how "you freaks ruin everything". So I yelled back

SEND HELP QUICK! THERE ARE DEATH EATERS AT THE HOUSE! THE ADDRESS IS 12 COCONUT DRIVE, YORK.

James Potter sat in his bedroom, enjoying the breeze. Looking up, he saw the owl that always carried his pen pals letters.

"Ooops", he thought "I forgot to write a reply to her beach house note"

Reaching out he took the letter from the owl, which bounded onto his window sill and hopped around almost impatiently. James opened the letter and read it quickly. Reaching the bottom, he ran downstairs to his parents, bearing grave news.

Lily, Petunia, Rose and Joseph Evans cowered in the basement of their beachside house.

"This is all your fault" Petunia whispered spitefully to Lily "If you hadn't joined that little freaky school, than we would all be fine!"

Upstairs new voices joined the harsh ones. And suddenly it all stopped. Lily, wand in hand crept up the stairs and found Aurors searching for them. She also found the remains of their house, burned to the ground around her.

A lady Auror with a soft voice spotted the Evans' first. She led them over to a medical tent that had been set up on the beach. After being checked out and declared unhurt, the Evans family solemnly stepped into a borrowed car, theirs having been destroyed by Death Eaters, and began the long drive to home.

James entered the scene wondering about his pen pal. He hadn't really gotten to know her. They had dutifully exchanged letters throughout the summer, but it was just so they wouldn't fail the class. Had she died here tonight, sacrificing her life for the lives of others by warning him? Had she used her last moments writing him? Haunting thoughts ran around James's head. And then what he knew from Muggle Studies as a car passed him and he knew she was in there, safe.

And James Potter smiled as rain came down to put out the last of the fires.

Author's Corner:

Well that's it. Thanks for reading and (to those very cool people who did) reviewing. A new, related story is coming. It's a seventh year fic, mostly probable as a relatively real plot. After that, I'll fill in the final story, A Year to Remember. Thanks again for reading!


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